Explosion relief



June 16, 1931. c. M. DIBBLE EXPLOSION RELIEF 2 Sheet-Sheet -1 Filed Feb. 8. 1928 June 16, 1931. c. M. DIBBLE EXPLOSION RELIEF Filed Feb. 8. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 16, 1931 UNITED. STATES P TENT o FIcE .OLAUD M, piBBLn, OF JOLIE'I, ILLINOIS, assienon'ro MOORE BRornnRscoMrANY, 0F JOLIET, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS v EXILOSION RELIEF Application filed February 8,1928. Serial No. 252,900.

-' This inventionrelates tofluid fuel heaters, and while the invention will be hereinafter described as embodied in the type knownas parlor gas heaters, it will be readily understood that it has valuable application in furnaces, cooking and other stoves, etc. using oiland other fluid fuels. I

The use of parlor heaters encased in a cab in et of attractive design or harmonizing with articles of furniture has become well known and rather widespread. Both coal and gas have been usedias fuel but gas stoves of this nature have been somewhat unpopular, due

to the fact that should the flames go out, either from the mainburners or from the pilot lights, without turning off the gas, when the stove was subsequently lighted, an explosion of' more or less violence took place which might have disastrous results. -This was due to the fact that the explosion was practically confined to the combustion chain: 1

'bers. As far as'I am aware, no means have heretoforebeen'devised to effectively lessen the forceof the'explosionwithin the combustion chambers and sodissipate its effect.

It is the object of this invention to pro- ,vide a means whereby the force of'an explosion within the combustion chambers may be lessened with the attendant loweringof possible damages to the stove and to the person operating it. 7 a v It isa further object of this invention to provide a means to prevent thepropagation of the flames in an explosion which escape through my previously mentioned means from being spread in undesirable directions,

such as through the bottom ofthe' stove. One of the novel features of my invention "is the provision forventing'ea'chcombustion chamber, which will open under the'force 'of an explosion to reduce the force thereof within the chamber. l J

Another novel feature of my invention is in the location of'explosion vents positioned substantially'opposite' each other on opposite sides of the respective combustion chambersan explosion;

the undesirable propagation of the flames of Numerous otherobjects and advantages of the nvention will be apparent as it is better .understood'from the following description,

which,'taken in'connectionjwith the accompanying drawings, disclosesa preferred embodiment thereof. l

' Referringto the drawingsz'f, Figure 1 is an end view of a stove orheater of the type to Which my invention isapplicable, thevdotted lines showing the combustionchamberythe explosion vents-and the means for preventing the propagation of the flame'in undesirable directions, and l Fig. 2 is aperspective View of the combustion chamber of such a heater showing I the relationship of the vents to the burners and pilot lights and to the baffles which I.

use to prevent the spreading of the flames.-

More particularly, a combustion chamber '1'1,'-having two members 12' and 13, is placed within a cabin'etl f supported upon legs 15 andhaving a grilled closure-16 at the top. A

flue 22 is provided leading from the combus-' -t1onichambe'r through the air space in the cabinet to a chimneyor similar outlet, In each of themember sot the combustion chamber-is "the usual burner 17 and pilot light 19.-- Each b'urner'is equipped at its intake end with the "usualair-mixing valve 18. Hand holes 21'are' provided as usual for lighting the burners;

'Q'n 'each side of each member of the combustlonch'a'mber I place vents 31' positioned sub- "stantiallyopposite each other on each combustion chamber. It is these vents' which permit the lessening of the explosion forcewithin the combustioncham ber and it is to be noted that they are placed at approximately the same height as the burners. 1

' The vents themselvesarec'omprised of a frame 25 mounted upon the sides of the combustion "chamber membersand doors 23 which are. attached to the frame by suitable hinges 24L Itis to be noted that these doors will nor- 'mally remain closed due tothe efl'ectof their own weight. It'isalso pointed out that the frame 25. has arprojecting portion whiche'x tends in anupward manner so that a flame Zooming fromthe combustion chamber would be directed upwards. This projecting portion also acts as a rest for the door in its closed position.

A baffle is provided beneath each vent and these baffles are indicated by reference characters 26, 27, 28 and 29 on F ig. 1 of the drawings. It will be noted that the outer baflies 26 and 27 are of construction and arrangement similar to the inner baflles 28 and 29. These last mentioned baflles are, however, larger than the side baffies and are placed between the adjacent members of the combustion chamber and are located one beneath the other so that While there is a passage between them they act together to prevent any flame from being forced downward. The cabinet is generally opened at its bottom and air circulates up around the combustion chambers and is discharged in heating condition through the top 16 of the stove. The arrangement of the baffles described prevents downward projection of the flame in the event of explosion through the open bottom of the cabinet and consequent ignition ofthe floor or floor'covering beneath. v

It is thought that this invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the form,-construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form he'reinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof- V I claim:

spaced, vertically and horizontally elongated gaseous fuel burner chambers providing an intermedlate air heating chamber, gaseous fuel burners-respectively located in said chambers acentl the bottom and extending substantially the horizontal length thereof, the vertical side walls ofsaid chambers having explosion relief vents directly communicab' ing with the locality of-the gaseous fuel burners in said chambers and leading outwardly int'o'the intermediate air heating chamber, doors respectively pivoted at the tops of said vents and movable bygravity to keep them normally closed, and baffles respectively projecting horizontal-1y from the side walls of therfuel burner chambers into the intermediate air heating'chamber, said baffles being located below the vents but positioned at dif- '-ferent levels to arrest the downward spread .of flame discharged through thevents without obstructing the upward flow'of air in the heating chamber'during normal operation,

'2.-The combination with a plurality of spaced, vertically and horizontally elongated gaseous fuel burner chambers providing an intermediate air heating chamber, gaseous fuel burners respectively located in "said chambers adjacent the bottom and extending yieldableon the development of explosive chamber, said'baflles being located below the substantially the horizontal length thereof, the vertical side walls of said chambers having explosion relief vents directly communicating with the locality of the gaseous fuel burners in said chambers and leading outwardly into the intermediate air heating chamber, doors respectively pivoted at the tops of said vents and movable by gravity to keep them normally closed, and baffles respectively projecting into the intermediate air heating chamber for arresting the downward spread of flame discharged through the vents.' i f "l 3. The combination with a plurality of spaced, vertically and horizontally elongated gaseous fuel burner chambers providing an intermediate air heating chamber, gaseous fuel burners respectively located in said chambers adjacent the bottom and extending substantially the horizontal length there-i of, the vertical side walls of said chambers having explosion relief vents directly communicating wit-h the locality of the gaseous fuel burners in said chambers and leading outwardly into the intermediate air heating: chamber, doors companion to said vents and movable by gravity to keep them normally closed, and baflles respectively projecting horizontally from the side walls of the fuel burner chambers into the intermediate air heating chamber, said baffles being located below the vents but positioned at different levels to arrest the downward spread of flame discharged through the vents without obstructing the upward flow of air in the heatv v a ,in-gchamberduring normal-operation. l. The combination with av plurality of chambers adjacent the bottom and extending substantially the horizontal length thereof, the vertical side walls of said chambers having explosion relief vents directly communi cating with the locality of the gaseous fuel burners in said chambers and leading outwardly into the intermediate air heating chamber, closure members for said vents pressures within the fuel burner chambers, and baffles respectively projecting horizontally from the side wallsof the fuel burner chambers into the intermediate air heating i vents but-positioned at different levels to arrest the downward spread of flame discharged through the vents without obstructing the upward flow, of air in the heating chamber during normal operation.

5. The combination with a Vertically and horizontally enlongated fuel burner chamber, a gaseous fuel burner located in said chamber adjacent the bottom and extending substantially the horizontal length thereof, 32-30 the vertical side wall of said chamber hav ing an explosion relief vent directly communicating With the locality of the gaseous fuel burner, therein and leading outwardly into the surrounding air space, closure means for said vent yieldable on the development of an explosive pressure within the fuel burner chamber, and a baflle positioned adjacent to said vent for arresting the spread of flame discharged through the vent during the explosion relief.

6. The combination with a plurality of gaseous fuelburner chambers providing an intermediate air heating chamber, gaseous fuel burners respectively located in said chambers, the walls of saidchambers having explosion relief vents directly communicating with the locality of the gaseous fuel burn- 1 ers therein and leading outwardly into the intermediate air heating chamber, doors movable normally to keep said vents closed but self-opening durin the occurrence of explosive pressures within said fuel burner chambers, and bafiies respectively projecting into the intermediate air heating chamber, said baflles being positioned in the locality of the vents to arrest the spread of flame dischamber.

8. A gaseous heater, comprising a combustion chamber having opposite Walls provided with an explosion vent, a closure for said vent and movable to open under force of an explo-V sion and to automatically close after an ex- 'plosion to prevent the escape of surrounding heated air through said vent into said chamber, and a deflector arranged laterally on the outside of said wall below said vent to upwardly divert flame issuing through said vent on explosion in said chamber.

9. A. gaseous heater, comprising an outer casing, inner combustion chambers arranged in spaced relation w1th sald casing, a burner in said chambers, automatically closed explosion vents disposed in opposite walls of said chamber, flame upwardly diverting .means arranged in said vents, and laterally disposed flame diverting means arranged on the out side of said combustion chamber and immediately below said vents and arranged to permit free circulation of air through the space surrounding said chamber.

CLAUDE M. DIBBLE. 

